sore vagina/thrush......

i have had a mild intermittent mild soreness just inside at the opening down below, worse when sitting down ie driving although it comes and goes. dr did a swab a few weeks ago, she said thrush although i don't have any of the usual thrush symptoms ie discharge or smell, just mild discomfort, bit dry although sex is fine (dryness isn't a problem). tried canesten plus lots of other things although none made any difference. i turn 51 in a couple of weeks. close friend, who is a few years younger, said she had/has exactly the same and that her dr found nothing wrong and thought it was an age/menopausal thing. anyone else have this? thing is, my worst meno' symptom is health anxiety so i worry about anything health related that comes along which is very draining and makes me miserable. fwiw i can't go on hrt (although i don't want to anyway) due to family history health issues (dr suggested it saying i was dry down below but i was onlly dry as i had literally just overly washed as i knew she was going to give me an internal). doesn't help that when i examined myself in the mirror (something i never do..) i noticed a tiny little mark on a fold of skin just inside the opening, looks like a splinter or ingrowing hair shape wise although it can't be as you don't get hair inside. i was thinking of using my private health to see a gyni so she can have a look/have a chat about my soreness which i have only had a month or so

Might be worth seeing the gynae if you can, but from your post it sounds like vaginal atrophy which can show itself as soreness. Not sure what the splinter like thing is but it could literally be a tiny cut or tear. You can use topical HRT oestrogen without it being absorbed into your system so tbh it might be worth a go. Your friend's dr was probably right but there are very good treatments- it's not something to ignore as it will get worse.

thanks for your responses. saw gp today. she is pushing for me to use an estrogen cream which i am nervous about because there is a lot of uterine cancer in my family (grandmother/mother/aunty) although gp thinks the cream is alright if used briefly. i have asked for a referral letter so i can see a gyni (not nhs/i will pay) although i hate doing this as i think it pisses off the gp but tough. she is a very nice dr and i will probably end up giving it a go but still want a second opinion (due to history). anyone know of any natural equivalents cream wise?? i am guessing there are some....

Vaginal oestrogen is not absorbed into the uterus. It is safe to use long term. I don't have time to search for and link to this just now but if you google , you will find the evidence. It may be under NICE menopause guidelines.

Your GP sounds as if they are on the right lines but not fully aware of the new guidelines. You can't stop and start vaginal HRT without symptoms coming back- it's treatment for life.

The answer to your high risk is very simple and very easy for drs to deal with. You could have an annual ultrasound vaginal scan to check the uterine lining. They could also give you an annual 'challenge' of progestogen pills for about 10 days which would cause a bleed if the lining was thickened - or not if it wasn't.

It's not a big problem- really!

There are over the counter lubricants but they won't actually change your vaginal cells to how they used to be- they will just put a coating on them.

Not sure why your GP doesn't like you asking for a referral- it's taking you out of their queue so they can see other people!!! And it's not costing them anything.